Fresh charges on Owaisi for assault on ex-collector

Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi faces a fresh case in a 2005 incident of alleged assault on former district collector of Medak, AK Singhal, and preventing government functionaries from doing their work.

The police plans to take Owaisi to Medak in connection with new case. Owaisi, who is currently in Adilabad jail, is facing charges of sedition, waging war against the nation and criminal conspiracy, for delivering a hate speech on December 22.

A police team from Patancheru left for Adilabad on Wednesday to bring Owaisi on prisoner transit warrant. He will be produced at the Sangareddy court on Thursday.

Earlier on Wednesday, the police returned Owaisi to judicial custody, a day before the completion of his five-day police remand. He was produced before the judicial first class magistrate and then driven to the district Jail, Adilabad. Police sources said Owaisi was “non-cooperative” during the questioning. “So there was no point in keeping him in our custody,” a police official said.

Meanwhile, a Hindu religious leader, Swami Kamlananda Bharati, who is facing identical charges for a hate speech he delivered earlier this month and is already in jail, was sent to police custody for two days.